The music festival Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has announced their first round of their lineup for 2019. So far, headliners include Steve Earle, Meat Puppets, Margo Price, Calexico, Iron & Wine, and more. Artists set to perform are coming from all around the United States and the world including the Ukrainian Folk group Dakhabrakha, and British-Irish folk-rockers The Waterboys. For the festival’s 19th year, it will take place where it always does in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park in Hellman Hollow, Lindley Meadow, and Marx Meadow. This year’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass will kick off on Friday October 4th and will conclude on Sunday October 6th. 

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass started back in 2001 when Warren Hellman created the festival as a way to celebrate American “roots” music and the many ways in which it has evolved. Since its beginnings, the festival has always made an effort to celebrate and pay homage to folk music from all over. When commenting on the lineup, the festival’s talent buyer Chris Porter stated, “To me, this lineup reflects our event’s legacy while looking ahead to the future. Steve Earle has been celebrating with us since 2002 and artists like Margo Price and Dahkabrahka are making their first Hardly Strictly Bluegrass appearances.” 

Additionally, a number of the Hardly Strictly performers are participating in a supplementary series of shows in local venues called Hardly Strictly Out of the Park. One dollar of every ticket purchased for the series will go towards the organization Music in Schools Today. Artists from the festival set to perform in Hardly Strictly Out of the Park include Jackie Greene, Meat Puppets, Hayes Carll, Calexico and Iron & Wine, and The Waterboys. 

Meat Puppets have been pretty active recently and went on their first tour in over twenty years during April and May. The punk group also released their newest album titled Dusty Notes back in March of this year.  Taking the stage with the Meat Puppets this year will be the legendary Folk singer songwriter Steve Earle. Most recently, Earle released his eighteenth studio album Guy. 

Update (8/1): Hardly Strictly Bluegrass announced the second round of their lineup including Tanya Tucker, Nikki Lane, Sierra Hull, Mdou Moctar, Black Joe Lewis & the Honey Bears, and more.

UPDATE (8/10): Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has announced the third phase of its 2019 lineup. This announcement adds Robert Plant, Kurt Vile and the Violators, The Wild Reeds, Yola, Emmylou Harris, Mary Gauthier, Whiskerman, Flor De Toloache, Pimps of Joytime and Mandolin Orange. The next “medley” of artists will be announced next week, August 13. Stay tuned.

UPDATE (8/15): The fourth round of Hardly Strictly’s 2019 lineup has been announced. Joining the lineup are Caitlin Canty, Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express, Bedouine, Hot Tuna, The Infamous Stringdusters, Kronos Quartet’s Pete Seeger @ 100 with special guests Brian Carpenter, Lee Knight, Meklit, Aoife O’Donovan, San Francisco Girls Chorus directed by Valérie Sainte-Agathe, The Long Ryders, Hiss Golden Messenger, Poor Man’s Whiskey and Tank & The Bangas.